5 Reasons It’s Dumb To Exercise While Traveling

The other day, I was reading through some other blogs and I came across an article with a title that went something like “Here’s How You Can Still Exercise While Traveling.”

And my immediate response was “That’s dumb. Why would you ruin your travel experience like that?”

And then I thought, “Hey…I should write about this.”

Now I know some of you may be reading this post while guzzling down your kale and protein super smoothie, and starting to shake with rage in your spandex. Before you leave me some comment about lifestyle choices and healthy living, please know that I understand that exercise is important. I get that we all need it in order to live healthier lives.

But dang, people. You’re traveling. You’re out there seeing amazing places and experiencing incredible things and meeting new people. Yet you’re still concerned with exercising?

Give yo’self a dang break!

Grab a cupcake, sit down with a full-fat latte and just read these 5 reasons it’s dumb to exercise while traveling.

Mmmm caaaake 🙂

1. You’re probably walking a ton, so like chill

For the average person, traveling is the time when you’re most active. If you normally work 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, it doesn’t give you much time to add a whole extra fitness regime into your schedule. But when you travel, you are on your feet all day, exploring new places. Maybe even trying out a new adventure activity that gets your heart going.

It’s always funny to check the fitness tracker on my phone when I’m traveling. It will reflect 20,000-30,000 steps per day when I’m exploring a new city, compared to the solid 4 steps I get at home. When you’re out exploring, you are already walking more than you normally would, so why would you need to exercise while traveling?

I did a LOT of walking in Australia!

2. Exercise takes up time you could be snacking

Don’t even try to play me on this one. Isn’t trying new foods a huge part of why we travel? You know…cultural immersion? Why on earth would you take up your travel time by exercising, when you could be shoving delicious local delicacies into your face? Let’s see…running and pumping iron versus trying that authentic carb-loaded pasta dish in Italy? I see a clear winner here. Priorities, people.

Or how about a loaded hotdog?

3. That’s a whole other set of clothes to pack

For real though. You know if you’re exercising, you will want a set or two of clothing that can get drenched in your nasty sweat. You don’t want to be sweating up a storm in your outfit and then go hit the town for the evening. No. Ew. You’re going to have to pack a whole extra wardrobe of workout gear, and who the heck really has the time or luggage space for that? Nah.

And don’t even mention having to do extra laundry so your exercise clothes don’t stink up your whole suitcase…

You think I could fit a set of exercise clothes in here? Nah, man….

4. You have to shower more and that’s just not eco-friendly

Let’s face it: As travelers, we have an extra responsibility to take care of the Earth and ensure that it stays amazing for centuries to come. But how can we really, truly do that if we are using up its precious water resources to shower after exercising? It’s just not right. Or ethical.

When you travel without exercising, you can get away with several days of not showering, and thereby saving the Earth. But add that sticky sweaty exercise to your schedule and you have to shower and use up the water. That’s basically like punching a dolphin in its cute, rubbery face. Do you really want to be a dolphin puncher? I don’t think so.

Sweaty and gross in El Salvador. Afterwards, I had my first shower in 4 days. I respect dolphins.

5. You’re beautiful

In all seriousness though, you are a beautiful person just the way you are. You don’t need to be taking the time during your explorations to fret about your fitness or the way you look. And you are certainly far too fabulous to be concerned with exercise while traveling. The world has so many more amazing things to offer you besides a hot bod and a great resting heart rate. Now take a breath, eat a cake, and move on with your travels.

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29 Comments

Love this! When I’m at home, I’m in the gym 5 days a week because I enjoy it! But traveling is when my muscles get to take a break and chill out from weightlifting. I totally agree, exercising while traveling takes away from time you could be spending exploring whatever exotic location you’re in! It’s ok to take a break from your normal workout regimen 🙂

All very valid reasons! Especially the part about packing extra clothes and doing laundry so your sweaty clothes don’t stink things up! I always focus on walking everywhere while traveling and it all balances out in the end. So eat that extra croissant…you’ve earned it!

When I travel, I barely have time to condition my hair, apply makeup and do any other beauty related routine. I just want to hit that bed and chill at the end of the day. Seriously, I do not have the time to exercise. Anyway, like you mentioned, I walk between 10 to 15 miles when on a trip. If that is not exercise, then I am not sure what it is.

Honestly this is great. Although most of my travelling is centred around some form of exercise, when I do visit cities all that is out the window and GONE!! Travelling is for snacking, street food, ice cream, and beer. And yes, you probably ARE walking a million miles anyway. This is great.

I’m so glab you actually wrote about this! I was nodding my head the whole time while sipping on my coffee and going ‘yeah that’s absolutely right’. All these you must exercise while traveling article and how can you exercise using the chair or bed as prop used to make me feel guilty. At one point I stopped bothering but this article is an absolute winner!

We always eat really well when travelling, but I often also lose weight. I think it’s all that extra walking! On our honeymoon, my husband lost half a stone as we hiked so much (between eating all the cheese!) If someone suggested we should exercise more on that holiday I would have had to laugh in their face!!

Aww see, I love running in new places. It’s one of my favorite things to do when on the road. But I do have to admit, that on a longer trip I will always prioritize suitcase space for anything but workout clothes.

Lol! I appreciate this so much. I just spent a week exploring Mexico City with a friend and we walked like 20,000 steps each day, minimum. I definitely couldn’t exercise on top of that! Totally agree that’s okay to cut ourselves some slack when we’re on the road!

Unique, light-hearted post, quite different from what you find on other travel blogs, so I very much enjoyed it (especially 3 and 4 made me laugh ^^). However I don’t necessarily agree with all of the points made. Exercise does not have to be the antithesis of relaxation and enjoyment – it can be very much an ingredient for them! Depending on the holiday I am on, I for one enjoy doing the odd HITT work out during my travels! I find it really energising, and while at home I have to cram it into my busy day-to-day, on holiday, I can do it whenever I like, follow it up with a leisurely, sumptuous breakfast and a nap on a beach or by a pool 🙂 I guess it very much depends on the trip I am, how much time I have in each place and who I am with. But I don’t think exercising why away necessarily needs to tarnish your travel experience 😉

What an interesting point of view! I thought I am the only one who feels that exercising is stealing my time during the travels. On the one hand, I feel guilty if not exercising but on the other one, I do have more time for adventures and fun. Happy to find like-minded people!

I’m definitely at my most active when I travel without having to set aside time to specifically exercise. 15000 steps would be a slow day for me on vacation, whereas hitting 10k daily in my regular life is a challenge. My vacation time is way too precious for me to spend it in the gym, so I make exploring my workout.

This is my new favourite post! I feel I only exercise if I decide to stay in a city for a longer period of a few months as I may not hit those steps everyday any more haha! I love you post and it makes everyone feel better about not exercising while travelling as all the cupcakes look better!

As a person who has been known to travel for dessert, I am totally onside. I’m all about experiencing the place through its food. Also, since walking a zillion steps to see the sights is such a shock to my computer-sitting body, I often lose weight when traveling. Who knew?!

Haha, thanks for the laughs! I definitely agree with you on the walking – if you’re doing it right, you should be tripling or more your daily steps! I remember once going to Vegas with a friend who woke up early and went for a jog down the strip and my mind was blown. I respect the hustle but WOW! I’d much rather have that extra margarita and extra slice of yum and do my jogging when I’m at home!

I like the spirit of your article, but I am also one of those who exercise and meditate even during traveling. I do this so that I can inhale fresh air of mountains and when I am close to nature I feel meditation takes me closer to Nature. So, to each his own. Still I agree with that shower point 

I love your post.. Your post makes sense to me :)…However, I practice yoga and meditation from last 15 years even during travelling. I energise myself more that way..But, I can related with other points for sure..

Ha ha, this is great! I think it all depends on how long you travel for and what type of travelling you do. If you are travelling long term you kind of need to treat it more like everyday life and its the same with working on the blog on the road. On shorter trip I take a break, but travelling for almost 3 years it’s different!

Yes, this is the post that I’ve been looking for. Whenever a friend of mine goes travel and is busy with all the how-can-I-still-excercise stuff, I’m like: “Please, give yourself a break”. But then they look at me as a weirdo.

I love this haha, I used to be good about getting to the gym when I was living in one place but now that I’m constantly on the move, it’s much harder, especially when you’re already walking 30,000-40,000 steps a day. I’m just going to say the backpack squats and some beach yoga and exploring is enough and call it a day.

I end up walking about 20 000 steps a day while travelling, no matter where I am. I didn’t think this post was needed but it is so true. Travelling is the exercise in itself, especially when you have a 20-kilo pack on.

I’m Brianna and I’m possibly the funniest person I know. I’m a total goofball who loves to travel. I fell in love with the world in 2007, when my family and I moved to Sydney, Australia. Since then, I’ve been on a mission to see the world. I'm an ordinary adventurer here to show you how the average person can travel the world.

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